FOXSports.com senior NFL writer Alex Marvez weighs in with NFL news and notes  every Monday

FOX Sports announcer Matt Vasgersian gushed Sunday about New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress thriving despite a lingering ankle injury.

“No practice, no problem,” Vasgersian said at least twice during New York’s 33-15 victory.

That concept is a major problem for Bengals coach Marvin Lewis.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh is the NFL’s second-leading receiver (51 catches) and has scored in every game. But Lewis believes Houshmandzadeh would be even more productive if he hadn’t missed extensive practice time earlier this season because of a knee injury.

Lewis pointed to Houshmandzadeh posting a season-high 145 receiving yards October 14 against Kansas City following his first complete week of practice.

“I know players think, ‘As long as I’m good to go Sunday,’” Lewis told me before Sunday’s 38-31 victory over the New York Jets. “But it doesn’t happen that way.

“That’s what I told (Houshmandzadeh): ‘You think because your knee is sore that you’ve got to take every Wednesday off. At the end of the season, you’re going to look back and say, ‘Gosh, I was that close. Maybe if I had been out there on a Wednesday and practiced a certain route, we would have gotten that one ironed out. Maybe the quarterback and the coaches would have felt good about it and the play would have been called more often.’’”

Such candid comments provide insight on the give-and-take between injured players and coaches. Ailing players are often pressured onto the field by coaches who have learned not to feel others’ pain. Some of the NFL’s best wide receivers like Burress, Terrell Owens and Randy Moss also have thrived despite often being on a limited practice schedule.

Yet Lewis’ frustration was understandable after Cincinnati’s 1-4 start. Coaches face challenges formulating game plans without knowing whether an injured player will be available or their projected level of effectiveness. The Bengals also have suffered an inordinate number of injuries. Lewis said only one of the 35 players deactivated for Cincinnati’s first five games was a healthy scratch.

Lewis wonders if outside influences -- presumably agents -- are prompting ####ed-up players to hold back.

“These guys want to do it right,” Lewis said. “But sometimes, they’ve to get over themselves or someone telling them, ‘You know what? Maybe if you’re a little sore, you can hold back a little bit on Wednesday and you’ll be better to go on Sunday.’”

Defeating the Jets couldn’t have come at a better time for Lewis, whose team might have unraveled with a loss.

Beforehand, Lewis spoke about a lack of emotional stability from some players with junior college backgrounds. That includes wide receiver Chad Johnson, who finally toned down his antics Sunday after coming under heavy scrutiny for what was perceived as selfish play (he’ll argue differently).

Lewis also said contract issues have surfaced among some veterans.

“The point we were harping on the whole off-season is you’ve got to let that go,” Lewis said. “You’ve got to play and let the other side of football take care of itself when the time comes. Don’t worry about what’s happening next door to you. There’s still a little of that that goes on.”

Under Lewis, Cincinnati is no longer an NFL laughingstock. But there is a lack of maturity a talented Bengals squad must fix to take the next step.

“They’ve never experienced it before where anybody cared,” Lewis said. “They were just scuffling to get to a spot. Now it’s, ‘Where am I in the big picture of NFL players?’”

Belichick's tricks

Spy-gate may be over (we think), but New England coach Bill Belichick is still trying other tactics for an edge over the opposition.

Even though he wasn’t going to play because o####roin injury, a source said Belichick had running back Lawrence Maroney dress for pre-game warm-ups prior to a 48-27 victory over Dallas. This was done to trick Cowboys coaches and players into thinking they might have to revamp their game plan. Maroney intentionally made several passes by the Dallas bench before leaving and changing to street clothes.

Public disservice

Some more off-beat shenanigans occurred during the Bengals-Jets game as public address announcements were being made while New York’s offense was using a sugar huddle. Under league rules, pre-snap announcements can only be made when an offensive team is formally huddled. Despite several warnings, the problem persisted until NFL executive Ray Anderson called in to end the announcements.